The anti-corruption body Lokpal has ordered a CBI probe into corruption allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra based on a complaint by BJP's Nishikant Dubey. In his tweet, Dubey said the Lokpal ordered the investigation into allegations Moitra accepted cash to ask parliament questions targeting PM Modi and the Adani Group on businessman Darshan Hiranandani's behalf. Moitra lashed back on social media handle X saying the CBI needs to first probe the INR13000 crore Adani coal scam and dodgy FPI-owned (inc Chinese & UAE ) Adani firms buying ports and airports, "then CBI welcome to come, count my shoes".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday for his controversial remarks linking women's education to population control. Modi said such statements amounted to insulting the country and questioned why Opposition leaders remained silent. A controversy erupted when Nitish Kumar spoke graphically in the Bihar assembly about how educating women helps reduce fertility rates. His comments drew uproar from BJP members but no condemnation from his allies. Nitish Kumar apologized on Wednesday saying he felt ashamed, but PM Modi attacked him and the Opposition for not speaking out against the remarks that were seen as demeaning to women.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy plans to make a non-interventionist foreign policy central to his campaign by introducing a pledge to avoid "World War Three." Ramaswamy told Reuters he will formally announce the pledge in Miami this week, requiring appointees in his potential administration to commit to three principles: avoiding major war is vital, war should only be a last resort, and leaders' sole duty is to U.S. citizens. The move comes amid debates within the GOP over America's global role. Ramaswamy opposes aid to Ukraine and Israel, differing from rivals Nikki Haley and Chris Christie. He aims to position himself as the candidate least likely to enter a foreign war if elected.

India's Shubman Gill has ended Pakistan captain Babar Azam's over two-year reign as the number one ranked ODI batter in the latest ICC rankings. Gill's solid start at the Cricket World Cup 2023 has propelled him to the top spot, making him the fourth Indian after Tendulkar, Dhoni and Kohli to be ranked number one. Gill has amassed 219 runs in the tournament so far, while Babar has totaled 282. Gill now has 830 rating points to Babar's 824. The 23-year-old Gill displaced Babar after narrowing the gap over recent months. His ascent represents a changing of the guard at the pinnacle of ODI batting.

China has become the world's largest debt collector as over 150 nations that signed up for its Belt and Road Initiative now owe Beijing more than $1 trillion. Nearly 80% of the BRI loans have gone to financially distressed countries. China is now trying to mitigate risks by bringing lending practices in line with international standards and introducing safeguards to ensure repayment. This includes unilaterally sweeping borrowers' currency reserves held in escrow. The BRI was launched in 2013 to fund infrastructure globally but over half the loans are now entering repayment. Experts say three-quarters will be due by 2030. The findings highlight China's growing influence as a major creditor to developing nations.

According to a news report, U.S. President Joe Biden suggested a 3-day ceasefire to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a call on Monday. Biden indicated the pause in fighting could help secure the release of hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza. Under a proposed plan between the U.S., Israel and Qatar, Hamas would release 10-15 hostages during the 3-day truce and provide a list of all hostages. Israel and Hamas have been engaged in over a week of deadly cross-border fighting. The White House confirmed Biden and Netanyahu discussed tactical pauses to allow civilians to evacuate safely and potentially enable hostage releases. But officials did not confirm specifics of the ceasefire proposal.

A 20-year-old Israeli police officer, Sgt. Elisheva Rose Ida Lubin, was stabbed to death by a 16-year-old Palestinian in Jerusalem's Old City on Monday. Sgt. Lubin was an American immigrant from Georgia who had moved to Israel last year to join the border police. She was critically injured in the stabbing attack while on patrol and later died of her wounds. The teenage Palestinian assailant, a resident of East Jerusalem, was shot dead at the scene. The fatal attack comes amid ongoing clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza. Sgt. Lubin was dubbed a "lone soldier" in Israel without family there.

The Delhi government has announced an early winter break for schools from November 9th to 18th due to hazardous air pollution levels in the city. The decision was made by the Delhi education department, which issued a notice rescheduling the winter break that was originally planned for December. The move aims to protect students from exposure to the capital's severely polluted air, which has been at dangerous levels in recent weeks. All schools in Delhi will now be closed for 10 days starting next week. The air pollution crisis in Delhi worsens each winter as emissions combine with colder temperatures and wind patterns.

An extensive telecommunications outage in Australia left over 10 million Optus customers without internet and phone services for much of Wednesday. The cause of the outage remains unknown, though Optus has ruled out a cyberattack. Critical infrastructure like hospitals experienced disruption. Melbourne public transit was briefly affected. The outage originated early Wednesday deep within Optus's network. Services were gradually restored by evening. Officials criticized Optus for the major failure. Union leaders suggested recent job cuts contributed. (Image Courtesy: Optus on X)

The Israeli military has released details on the massive cache of weapons recovered from Hamas militants following rocket attacks on Israel last month. The arsenal included over 1,400 hand grenades, 750 rocket-propelled grenades, 400 explosive belts, 375 firearms, and 100 rockets. The military stated these weapons were used by Hamas to kill over 1,400 Israeli civilians. Earlier, Israel said its ground forces were fighting deep within Gaza City to target Hamas's headquarters. Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed thousands of Hamas fighters have been killed and Israel will maintain security control over Gaza long-term after the conflict. The fighting has left over 10,300 Palestinians dead, including more than 4,200 children, according to health officials in Gaza.